Welcome to episode 50 of the EdTech Situation Room from May 3, 2017, where technology news meets educational analysis. Visit https://edtechsr.com/links to access all referenced links from our show. This week Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach), Wesley Fryer (@wfryer) and Ben Wilkoff (@bhwilkoff) discussed today’s widespread Google Docs phishing attack, Microsoft’s newly announced Windows-S operating system, new Microsoft laptop announcements targeting the Chromebook market and MacBook users, and recent controversy regarding the website Unroll.me selling anonymized user data to advertisers. They also discussed Mark Zuckerberg’s recent forecast for the future of social media and screens (mixed-reality), a new Kickstarter campaign (Jelly, The Smallest 4G Smartphone), and cybersecurity. Geeks of the week included Google Trips (Jason), the Clips app for iPhone (Wes), and the Pocket Video from iOS (Ben). Be sure to follow us on Twitter @edtechSR for updates and show date/time changes. Normally we’re LIVE on Wednesday nights at 10 pm Eastern / 9 pm Central / 8 pm Mountain / 7 pm Pacific. Please join us live if your schedule permits for our upcoming shows!
Shownotes:
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- Jason Neiffer (@techsavvyteach) – blog: blog.ncce.org
- Wes Fryer (@wfryer) – blog: speedofcreativity.org
- Ben Wilkoff (@bhwilkoff) – learningischange.com
- Google Docs users hit with sophisticated phishing attack (The Verge, 3 May 2017)
- Surface Laptop, Windows 10 S: Everything Microsoft just revealed (CNet, 2 May 2017) …anyone with Windows Pro can download Windows 10 S
- Microsoft unveils $999 Surface Laptop running Windows 10 S (The Verge, 2 May 2017)
- The smartphone is eventually going to die — this is Mark Zuckerberg’s crazy vision for what comes next (Business Insider, 23 April 2017)
- How to Secure Your Online Accounts By Revoking Access From Third-Party Apps (Lifehacker, 25 April 2017)
- The uproar over Unroll.me selling user data to Uber shows most people don’t understand ad-based business models (Recode, 29 April 2017)
- Jelly, The Smallest 4G Smartphone (Kickstarter)
- Wes’ notes from the 2017 ATLIS Conference: wfryer.me/atlis17 (also a reflective summary podcast)
- Slides and resources for Wes’ May 3 webinar “Minecraft in the Classroom”
- Check whether your email accounts have been hacked / compromised: https://haveibeenpwned.com
- Jason’s Geek of the Week: Google Trips: Android; iOS
- Wes’ Geek of the Week: Clips App for iPhone (goofy example of speech to text video with Clips by Wes)
- Ben’s Geek of the Week: Pocket Video for iOS
Thank you for your coverage of the Microsoft EdTech event. Unfortunately, I feel you missed an important point. It’s not just about the Chromebooks. The G-Suite environment is also very important to the improvements I have seen in the classrooms.
I feel Microsoft’s efforts are too little, too late, and too expensive.
Switching form Windows/Office to Google G-Suite has been very successful at the schools I work at. It’s not just about the Chromebooks. I see several aspects of it that improve classroom learning.
1. The G-Suite has matured into a very effective suite of tools for both the students and the teacher. Being cloud based, it allows students and teachers to work without being tied to a device. Several of my teachers are able to use the integration of the various parts of G-Suite to make lessons and units that are more students centered, blended, and self passed.
2. The Chromebooks make it easier for schools to go 1 – 1. The nearly instant on is a game changer in the classroom. The low cost of the Chromebooks also allows for a faster replace/update cycle of this evolving technology.
3. The management software is easy to use and well thought out. being able to lock the Chromebook to the school account is a nice bonus.
Thanks again for your podcast.
Greg Styles
EdTech Coordinator/integration
Rutland Southwest SU